As a surprise for their (aspiring midwife) daughter's 13th birthday, Sarah & Steve share her birth story. Sarah shares about the loss of her mother about 7 years prior and how giving birth triggered waves of fresh grief. At the same time, she'll describe what an optimal experience she had giving birth at home with a midwife in Brooklyn. As a literacy expert and anti-racist educator, Sarah also shares a number of great book recommendations, including an emphasis on exposing little ones to diversity & representation in books as early as possible.
Read moreBirth Matters Podcast, Ep 63 - A Black Birth Pro’s Fast 2nd Birth at Home & Tongue Tie
Today birth professional Simone Toomer joins us again to share her second baby’s birth story, which was similarly short but very different in that she had a planned home birth instead of hospital. She also discusses how the struggles she had with her second in breastfeeding and getting a tongue tie corrected has informed her approach to supporting nursing parents.
Read moreBirth Matters Podcast, Ep 62 - A Wellness Practitioner’s Early Induction for HELLP Syndrome
A yoga teacher & clinical nutritionist shares her firstborn's birth story. Jennifer had hoped to have a peaceful, unmedicated birth with a midwfie, but the fact that she developed HELLP syndrome in late pregnancy required an emergency induction. When presented with what felt like an unrealistic deadline to give birth vaginally, she and baby defeat the odds and successfully accomplish just that.
Read moreBirth Matters Podcast, Ep 59 - Reframing a Challenging Vaginal Birth
Manhattan couple Jen & Zach share their son’s birth story. Desperate to avoid induction, having sex seems to do the trick and Jen’s water breaks. When they show up to the hospital hoping to just confirm the water broke and go home, they get checked into the hospital. While Jen does get to have the vaginal birth she hoped for, most of her other birth preferences require adjustment — including getting a different OB and doula than planned as well as several interventions she had hoped to avoid being used. As a Jewish couple, they’ll also describe their son’s bris.
Read moreBirth Matters Podcast, Ep 56 - Fertility Doula & 2 IVF Birth Stories (Pt 2)
Today we continue our fertility journey series and share the second part of fertility doula Alison Wehr’s 2 IVF and birth stories. Alison’s second path to conception was a smoother one; today she shares how quickly IVF worked this time around, how she wasn’t nearly as anxious this time, and will detail her second born’s birth story that started with her water breaking a few days before her estimated due date. After she shares her son’s birth story, she discusses how she got into fertility doula as well as birth and postpartum work.
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